Letting Go
Less than two weeks to go until our big transition, and it feels more real with each passing day!
As I was looking back and reflecting on my recent blogs to determine today’s topic, I realized that I’ve written a lot about the moments I’ll miss as we step into this new chapter. There are so many of them. What I haven’t really written about—and what also deserves to be shared—are the parts that I’m excited to let go of.
I thought we could talk about that today, even though it’s a topic that feels weird and hard to write about because there are people I care about who are sad about our next steps—students and customers who wish we weren’t going anywhere. Still, I know that I’m allowed to be excited about all that is ahead. It’s taken me nearly this whole time to be able to own it like that: I’m allowed to be excited. I’m allowed to care deeply about people and be ready to let go. I’m allowed to celebrate the decision to make this change and the commitment to see it through. I’m allowed to feel good about following my heart.
And so, even though this journey has been so beautiful and I have nothing but gratitude in my heart for the last 14 years and everything that’s gotten us to this point, here are the pieces that I’m excited to let go of as we enter the next chapter of our story . . .
Office space: Our transition means that we will no longer need our office, and we will become a fully remote team. I’m excited to forget about building security, maintenance, rent, and solving the puzzle of why the utility bill is always so high. I’m excited to give our team the chance to work in environments that inspire them, whether that is at home, in coffee shops, or on the road. I’m excited to get rid of all the things in our office that we thought we needed but turns out we don’t really need. I’m excited to keep things simple.
Split attention: For years, being CEO of our company meant leading just one business. And then, a new business emerged—our speaking and leadership development company—and all of a sudden, one business became two. I had to split my time between the two companies, which meant empowering our incredible leaders at Student Maid to take the reins while I focused on building the foundation for our leadership development business. As the second company grew, members of our leadership team began spending time in both places, which meant our attention had to be split between the companies. When one business faces a big challenge, it soaks up all of our attention, and the other side suffers. It’s always bothered me and it doesn’t feel fair. Try as we might, we’ve never been able to seamlessly integrate the two businesses. I’ve always wanted it to feel like one but it's felt like two. I’m excited that this transition will once again allow us to channel all of our energy and attention into one direction.
Dividing my time between Student Maid and my family when I visit Florida: Both Student Maid’s HQ and the house where I grew up are located in Florida. My parents still live there, a lot of my friends are there, and yet, when I visit Florida, I feel torn between spending time with family and friends and spending time at Student Maid. Because I don’t live where our company is headquartered and because I only come to Florida a few times a year, I feel a ping of guilt any time I am with family and friends and not at Student Maid. And then, for the same reasons, I feel a ping of guilt when I’m at Student Maid and not with family and friends. I’m excited to no longer be in a position where I have to make such a difficult choice.
Emergency phone calls: When I get a phone call related to Student Maid, it’s usually because there’s an emergency or we are faced with an extremely challenging situation. It comes with the territory of being the CEO of a service business. We have a phenomenal team, and I only get a handful of calls like that a year, but I’m really excited not to get them anymore. I know there will be challenges, emergencies, and difficult situations in our next chapter, but it’s a different level when you’ve got people going into clients’ homes. I’m excited that I will have an easier time being present in my life, and I’m ready to let go of the feeling of always being “on” in case there’s an emergency. I can’t even imagine what it feels like—it’s all I’ve known.
Move-out season: If you haven’t read Permission to Screw Up, move-out season is the time every year when thousands of students move out of their homes and apartments, and every space has to be cleaned before the new students move in. For the last 14 years, we’ve participated in move-out season at varying levels, and every year, no matter how prepared we think we are, it brings us so much stress. Some of our greatest lessons and memories have come from this busy time every year, but they’ve come at a great cost. When it's move-out season, Student Maid feels like the opposite of a calm company, and I’m excited for it to feel like a calm company year-round.
Doing work that I’m not passionate about or in love with: No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get excited about cleaning products and vacuums. And it’s nothing against cleaning. I know many people who love the industry, and I have nothing but love and admiration for them. What I love is leadership. I love helping people see what they are capable of. Cleaning just happened to be the vehicle through which I did that. I am excited to let go of the work I’ve been doing that isn’t energizing to me and to be able to put 100% of my attention and focus into the work that makes me feel alive every day.
Operating a business with small margins: One reason I have so much admiration for those in the cleaning industry is that not only is the work hard, but the margins are tough. For us, we’ve had to do a lot of volume in order to make profit, and with volume comes complicated systems, processes, growing larger than you might like, and all that jazz. In our leadership business, our margins are greater, and they match the time and energy investment. I’m at a place in my life where I’m thinking deeply about the time I invest, where I’m investing it, and where I’m asking our team to invest it. I feel grateful that our next chapter will come with larger margins. I know that the larger our margins are, the greater difference and impact we’ll be able to have on others.
Overidentifying myself with my business: Student Maid is all I’ve known for 14 years. It was my first job out of college. It became my identity. This shift has caused me to think about who I am outside of Student Maid, which at first was really scary. It’s caused me to strip everything away and get to know myself and my heart more than I ever have. I’ve learned there’s a lot more to me than owning a business. I’ve learned there’s a lot more that I want to do in my life. In this next chapter, I’m excited to pursue several passions and to build an identity for myself that expands beyond being an entrepreneur and leader. Our business and mission will always be a huge part of my life and my heart, but it doesn’t have to take ALL of it.
The feeling of not going where my heart is calling me: I am so excited that I will no longer have that inner voice that nudges me and reminds me that I’m not going where I feel called to go. If you’ve been there, you know the feeling. You can never fully quiet it until you listen to it. Every day is a reminder that you are meant for more. I’m glad I finally listened.
The need for certainty and a plan: In this next chapter, I’m letting go of what it looks like. I’m letting go of how it happens. I’m anchoring myself in the fact that I’m following my heart and that I’m exactly where I need to be at this time in my life, and that as long as I continue to follow my heart, that will always be the case. It feels freeing.
And there we go: My “excited to let go of” list. I don’t think we talk about this stuff enough. I think many business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders are tired. I think many question if what they are doing is what they actually want to be doing. I certainly have questioned it. And I think when you get to a place where you realize you’ve got to make a change—for yourself, for your life, for your heart, for what you believe in—you can feel ashamed to truly own why you are making that choice.
I’m writing this for anyone who has ever made the tough decision to let go or who is preparing themselves to make that decision now. Letting go is brave. Letting go is beautiful. Letting go is something to be celebrated. Letting go is the truth. Letting go is key to continuing to live a meaningful life.
Hugs through the screen,
Kristen
PS: Tomorrow is the last day to buy tickets for our Human Leadership Program! We’ve got nearly 200 hearts joining us to learn how to elevate their authenticity and humanity as leaders, and we hope you’ll be one of them!
PPS: Join us for our LIVE show this Wednesday (and every Wednesday!) at 11 a.m. ET! This week, we’ll be taking another trip down memory lane, and I’ll be sharing some of my favorite photos from our 14-year journey, as well as the memories and lessons behind them. You can register here: https://bit.ly/3kWe2kT. Hope to see you there!
